The caliphate of Abu Bakr-I

Abu Bakrbecame the Caliph onJune 8, 632CE and he died onAugust 23,
634CE. The period of his Caliphate covers two years, two months and
fifteen days only. Judged by the usual standards, this period was too
short to make an impact on history. However, the Caliphate ofAbu
Bakrdid not merely make an impact on history; it changed the very
course of history. The suppression of apostasy, the unification of
Arabia, and the conquests of greater parts ofIraqandSyriawithin the
space of two years arethe extraordinary marvels that took place during
his Caliphate. The speed, magnitude, extent and permanence of these
campaigns excite our wonder and evoke our admiration. For these
achievements, Abu Bakrholds a unique position in the history of the
world in general and the history of Islam in particular.
Abu Bakrcame to power in the midst of a critical situation. The crises
that he was called upon to encounter, were multi-dimensional – being
psychological, religious, political and international. The Islamic
State apparently stood at the brink of a precipice, and any wrong step
on the part of Abu Bakrat that stage, could haveled to chaos. Abu Bakr
not only averted possible disintegration, but also made Islam a world
force, which could successfully contend against the giant empires
ofByzantiumandPersia.
The historic role of Abu Bakr comprises the following achievements:
· The war of apostasy
· The compilation of the glorious Quran
· The conquest ofIraq
· The conquest ofSyria
The War of Apostasy
There were four main causes for this war:
First, because of the dispute regarding the Caliphate between the
Makkan emigrants)Muhaajireen( and the Prophet's supporters in
Al-Madeenah)Ansaar(, various tribes favored separatism. "Why should
the Caliph be from Makkah or Al-Madeenah and not from among us?" they
asked.
Second, the Prophet,collected the Zakaat, which the various tribes
used to send to Al-Madeenah. As the Prophet,, had died, they claimed
that there was no reason for them to send it there. Besides, the
Prophet,, had often agreed to local alms distribution; so whyshould
they send their contributions away?
Third, as the wars indicated, some of the uncivilized Bedouins had not
genuinely converted to Islam; they had adopted it because they admired
a man whocould challenge the two greatest empires of their time. As
soon as he,, died, his effect on them faded away and they turned
awayfrom Islam.
Fourth, the influence of the Romans from the north and the Persians
and Abyssinians from the east and the south, encouraged the distant
tribes to adopt their own religions and beliefs.
Abu Bakrfaced the crises with strong determination that knew no
wavering. He summoned all his combat forces to Thil-Qassah )the name
of a place(, where he arranged them into eleven different armies,
eachheaded by an appointed commander. The number and commander of each
army were well chosen for the exact commission of each particular
army, and the enemy to be confronted.
The first army was commanded by Khaalid bin Al-Waleedto meet and
subdue Tulayhah bin Khuwaylid of Bani Assad; then to march to Maalik
bin Nuwayrah of Bani Tameem; both situated east of Al-Madeenah at
Al-Bitah, and Al-Bazakhah. Bani Assad and Bani Tameem were the nearest
of the renegade tribes to Al-Madeenah. The second army was commanded
by 'Ikrimah bin Abi Jahland was commissioned to fight Mussaylamah of
Bani Haneefah at Al-Yamaamah. The third army was commanded by
Sharahbeel bin Hasnahwith orders to assist the second army under
'Ikrimah in the battle against Bani Haneefah. When victorious,
Sharahbeel and his army should move north to assist'Amr bin
Al-'Aasagainst Bani Quda'aha. The fourth army was commanded by Al-
Muhaajir bin Ummayah Al-Makhzoomito fight Al-Aswad Al-Ansi and his
followers inYemen, and after that to march to Kindah and Hadhramawt in
the south to fightAl-Ash'aath bin Qays and his tribes of apostates.
The fifth army was commanded by Suwayd bin Maqrin Al-Awsitofight the
reversionary groups in Tuhaamah on the East coast of the Red Sea
neighboringYemen. The sixth army was commanded by Al-Ale's bin
Al-Haddaamto subdue the renegade tribes inBahrainon thePersian Gulf.
The seventh army was commanded by Huthayfah bin Muhsin Al-Ghatfaanito
fight Thi Al-Taj Laquit bin Maalik Al-Azdi, the impostor inOman. The
eighth army was commanded by Arfajah bin Harthahwho was to march to
Mahrah on the south coast of the Peninsula betweenOmanand Hadhramawt.
The remaining three armies werecommissioned to march north. The first
under the command of 'Amr bin Al-'Aaswas ordered to confront Bani
Qudaah. The second commanded by Ma'an bin Haajiz Al-Salmito fight Bani
Saalim and their followers from Bani Hawaazen. The third was commanded
by Khaalid bin Sa'eed bin Al-'Aasto safeguard the northern frontiers
withSyria. The apostasy campaigns began in August 632 CE and by
February 633 CE, the apostate tribes were totally suppressed; Arabia
stood unified,and all people inArabiajoined thefold of Islam. That was
a remarkable achievement, which changed the course of history. Abu
Bakrwas adamant, intent in purpose, wise in action, and uncompromising
regarding the terms of Allaah.
Compilation of the Glorious Quran
A large number of Muslims were killed in the war of apostasy, among
whom were many of those known for memorizing the Quran. 'Umar bin al
Khattaabwhose brother Zaydwas among the dead, thought deeply of what
might happen if more such people were killed in furtherconfrontations.
He reached the conclusion that if the Quran was to be preserved, it
ought to be compiled into one volume. At that time, it was scattered
among the companions of the Prophet,with each preservinga part of it.
Methods of preservation differed -- some hadit written on parchment;
others on palm branches stripped of leaves; a third group on shoulder
bones of animals; and a fourth onstone tablets; a large number had
also learnt it by heart. If many of those who had memorized it were
killed, then a part of the Holy Book might disappear. So 'Umarwent to
the Caliph, who was then sitting in the mosque of the Prophet,. He
discussed his idea with him, but Abu Bakrrejected it because it had
not been approved by the Prophet,. A lengthy debate followed, after
which Abu Bakrwas convinced that 'Umarwas right.
He called for Zayd bin Thaabita youth of perfect character, and
commissioned him to compile the Quran into one volume. At first Zayd
objected for the same reason, which had made Abu Bakrprotest. Then he
agreed,but felt that the commission wasan extremely difficult task. He
had to collect every verse and every chapter from those who owned
them, and then classify them in the order, which was prescribed by the
Prophet,.
After Zaydaccomplished the task and had organized the Quraninto one
book, he submitted the precious collection to Abu Bakrwho kept it in
his possession until the end of his life. During 'Umar's Caliphate it
was placed inthe custody of his daughter, Hafsahthe Prophet's wife.
Finally, in the days of 'Uthmaanwhen different readers began to recite
it differently, the Caliph had several copies of it made, and
distributed them to the various countries, which comprised the Islamic
world. Themodern edition of the Quran is the 'Uthmaan copy, which is
considered the standard to whichevery other copy should conform.
The compilation of the Quran during the Caliphate of Abu Bakris
regarded by many people as his most significant achievement -- even
more significant than the war of apostasy and the conquests of
'IraqandSyria. `Ali bin Abi Taalib, may Allaah have pleased with him,
used to say: "May Allaah have mercy upon Abu Bakr! He is worthy of
being superbly rewarded, because he was unique in compiling the
Quran."
To Be Concluded

The caliphate of Abu Bakr-II

When Abu Bakrbecame the Caliph in 632 CE, the Islamic State was
threatened with disunity andchaos. Within a year, Abu Bakrwas strong
enough to attack the Persian Empire in the north-east and theByzantine
Empirein the north-west. There were legitimate purposes for this
conquest:
1- Along the borders betweenArabiaand these two great empires were
numerous Arab tribes leading a nomadic life and forming a buffer-like
state between the Persians and Romans. Abu Bakrhoped that these tribes
might accept Islam and help their brethren in spreading it.
2- The Persian and Roman taxation laws were arbitrary and oppressive;
Abu Bakrbelievedthat they might be persuaded to help the Muslims, who
sought to release them from injustice.
3- Two gigantic empires surroundedArabia, and it was unsafe to remain
passive with these two powers on its borders.Abu Bakr hoped that by
attackingIraqandSyriahe might remove the danger from the borders of
the Islamic State.
Conquest of thePersian Empire
We have mentioned that the Caliph Abu Bakrsent Al-Ala'a bin
Al-Hadhramito subdue the renegade tribes in Bahrain onthe Persian
Gulf. The Bahraini leader, Muthannaa, helped Al-Hadhrami to subdue his
own native apostates. Muthannaadid not feel that his contribution was
enough, so he marched northwards along the coast of the Gulf until he
reached the borders of `Iraq. In order to invade thePersian Empirehe
needed Abu Bakr's consent. Therefore, he traveled to Al-Madeenah
where, after taking his counselors' advice,)particularly that of
Khaalid bin Al-Waleed( Abu Bakrofficially appointed Muthannaa
commander in theArabian Gulfarea.
No sooner had Muthannaa left Al-Madeenah than he was joined by Khaalid
bin Al-Waleedat the head of a 10,000 strong army.When the two joined
forces at the borders near the delta, Khaalid sent a letter to Hormuz,
the Persian governor and leader, offering him three options: to
embrace Islam, to pay tribute or to fight.
Hormuz was an intolerable man. He was disliked by the 'Iraqis who used
to say of him: "There isno infidel more wicked than Hormuz." Yet,
inPersiahe was regarded as a nobleman of the highest rank.
Getting no reply, Khaalid divided his army into three regiments of
6,000 men each. The first day Muthannaa marched to Hafeer; the second
day 'Adiyy bin Haatimfollowed; and the third day Khaalid found Hormuz
occupying the water springs.
Hormuz wanted to cut the fight short by murdering Khaalid
treacherously. As soon as the twoarmies engaged in battle, he
challenged Khaalid to fight a duel. Khaalid at once dismountedand
before long, his opponent was killed and Khaalid cut off his head and
held it by the forelock. The Persians dashed up at full gallop to
prevent their captain's death, but the Muslims were ready for them.
The Persians tookto their heels and a massacre followed. Among the
spoils sent to Al-Madeenah were Hormuz's beret and an elephant. The
huge animal was publicly admired by old and young, and then returnedto
'Iraqto be made use of in the forthcoming campaign. This battle was
called "The Battle of the Chains" and it was one of the most important
battles, because of its effect on the morale of the Muslim troops.
Muslim forces gave blow after blow to the Persian armies. Many places
such as Al-Heerah, Al-Anbaar, 'Ayn At-Tamr, and Dawmat Al-Jandal
surrendered to the Muslims.
Conquest of theRoman Empire
The marvellous victories of Khaalid bin Al-Waleedin `Iraqencouraged
Abu Bakrto send armies to conquerSyria. Abu Bakr sent Khaalid bin
Sa'eedat the head of an army to Tayma', just near the Syrian border,
but he did not intend to invade the country; it was only a defensive
measure. However, when he received letters from Khaalid bin Sa'eed,
who longed for military glory inSyriaas great as that of Khaalid bin
Al-Waleed in `Iraq, asking for permission toproceed, he agreed and
gave the signal which started a new campaign. In his first engagement
with the Romans, Khaalid bin Sa'eed managed to win the battle and
occupy the Roman camps. Tasting victory against "the people of yellow
complexion", as they were usually described by the Arabs, Khaalid
pushed forward till he reached the shores of theDead Sea, where he
defeated another Roman regiment near Qastal.
Now, the Romans realized that the Muslims were not merely indulging in
temporary raids as they used to do before, but that they intended to
conquer and stay. So, they sent a huge army led by Bahan, who was well
known for his clever military tactics. He withdrew intentionallybefore
Khaalid, who forgot Abu Bakr's piece of advice to be always wary in
his war with the Romans. Bahan's retreat stoppedwhen he was in the
vicinity of Tiberias. There he managed to trap the Muslims and kill
Khaalid's son, Sa'eed, who was lagging behind with a group of his men.
TheBattleof Yarmook:
The circumstances, which befell Ibn Sa'eed, did not make Abu Bakr
despair. He ordered the recruitment of new troops and immediately sent
aid to 'Ikrimahwho was waiting near the Roman border. The total aid
which `Ikrimah received amounted to 30,000 men. `Amr bin Al-'Aas had
to proceed toPalestine, Abu `Ubaydah bin Al-Jarraah toDamascus,
Sharhabeel bin Hasnah to Jordan and Yazeed bin Abu Sufyaan to Basrah.
When Heraclius, the Roman emperor, heard the news, he mustered about
240,000 troops. Theodore, his brother, led the huge army and proceeded
to Waqusah, some 40 miles to the south of Yarmook, a tributary of
theJordan. He camped beside the left bank of the river on a spacious
plateau which was surrounded on three sides by high mountains.
Later, both armies were locked together in a fierce fight. Although
the Muslim army was deficient in number, it was more than a match for
the Romans in courage and vitality. Their enthusiasm was so high that
even women plunged into the battlefield to prove their bravery as
fighters for Islam. Abu Sufyaanencouraged the Muslim soldiers with
martial cries. The brave Muslim warriors performed such deeds of valor
that have never been witnessed before. From morning to evening swords
and daggers, arrows and spears remained in action. Exhausted by the
daylong operations and frustrated with failure after failure, the
Romans lost heart and began to retreat till they had the mountains at
their backs, while the Muslims kept advancingand pushing them back
till they started to flee.
The morning sun rose with the message of Muslim victory and the Roman
soldiers were nowhere to be seen.Theodore, the Roman commander and
brother of Heraclius was killed along with a few other generals. An
estimated 3000 Muslims were honored with martyrdom.
When Heraclius heard of his brother's defeat at Yarmook he leftHoms,
the imperial headquarters, and moved northwards. There he mustered
anew army, which was met by the Muslims and defeated.
It was not long beforeDamascusopened two of its gates to the Muslims,
one forced by Khaalid bin Al-Waleed, and the other opened peacefully
by Abu `Ubaydah. With the capital in the hands of the Muslims, and
with the Romans driven out forever,Syriabecame an Islamic country.
The End
Abu Bakrdied in the year 13 AH )634 AD( after suffering from fever for
fifteen days during which he gave instructions that 'Umar bin
al-Khattaabshould lead the prayers. During his suffering he was
thinking of Islam and its future stability. After much meditation he
decided to confer the Caliphate on 'Umar bin al-Khattaab. He consulted
many of the well-known companions of the Prophet,. Most of them
approved of the choice, though they pointed out that 'Umar bin
al-Khattaabwas rather rough. He called 'Uthmaanand put in writing his
desire to choose 'Umar as his successor. While he was dictating, he
fainted but 'Uthmaan completed the will on his own. When Abu
Bakrrecovered he was pleased with 'Uthmaan's initiative and approved
the will. Then he let it be read to the congregation, who accepted it
and swore allegiance to 'Umarin the Prophet's Mosque. He watched what
was going on from inside his house, being helped by his wife, Asmaa'
bint 'Umays.
Then he called 'Umar and advised him on how to lead his people, ending
with these words: "If you follow my advice, nothing unknown will be
more acceptable to you than death; butif you reject it, nothing
unknown will be more frightening than death." Before he died, Abu
Bakrgave back everything he had taken from the public treasury during
his Caliphate. It is said that he did not bequeath any money at all.
He left only a servant, a camel and a garment. His orders were that
after his death the garment should be delivered to his successor. On
seeing it 'Umar wept and said:"Abu Bakr has made the task of his
successor very difficult."

Dought & clear, - Whoever breaks the fast when making up a missed Ramadaan fast only has to make up oneday

A woman was making up one of the days that she did not fast in
Ramadaan because of menstruation, then her period came on that daywhen
she was making up the fast. Does she have to make up one day or two?.
Praise be to Allaah.
She only has to make up the day that she did not fast in Ramadaan,
because the day she wasfasting when her period came was only to
replace the day that she did not fast in Ramadaan; it was not a new
obligatory fast.
Ibn Hazm said inal-Muhalla(6/271): Whoever deliberately breaks a fast
observed tomake up for a missed Ramadaan fast only has to make up one
day, because the obligation to make up the fast applies only to the
Ramadaan fast. It was narrated in a saheeh report that the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made up that day he
missed of Ramadaan. So it is not permissible to add more to it without
any shar'i text to supportthat and without any scholarly consensus. It
was narrated from one of the salaf that he has to make up two days,
the day from Ramadaan and the day when he was making up that fast.
It says inal-Taaj wa'l-Ikleel: Whoever breaks a fast observed tomake
up for a missed day from Ramadaan onlyhas to make up one day. And
Allaah knows best.

Dought & clear, - His imam said three takbeers in the funeral prayer, and forgot the fourth; should he followhim?

Some people offered the funeral prayer, and the imam said three
takbeers, but did not say the fourth because he forgot. What is the
ruling on his prayer?
Praise be to Allah.
In the answer to question no. 159418we stated that the number of
takbeers in the funeral prayer is four, allof which are pillars or
essential parts of the prayer.
Based on that, if the imam says only three takbeers by mistake, he
should not be followed, and it is essential to alerthim to that. If he
then says the fourth takbeer, his prayer is valid, but if he does not
do that, then the people praying behind him have to complete the
fourth takbeer, then say the salaam.
Al-Bahooti (may Allah have mercy on him) said:If a worshipper omits
one of the four takbeers deliberately, his prayer becomes invalid,
because he has omitted an obligatory part deliberately; hence it
becomes invalid, as in the case of all other prayers. If he omitted it
by mistake, he should say it; this is similar to the case if he says
the salaam in an obligatory prayer before completing it by mistake– he
should (correct his mistake) if it is soon afterwards, and his prayer
is still valid.
End quote from Daqaa'iqOoli an-Nuha, 1/362
Al-Bukhaari narrated, in the chapter on saying takbeer in the funeral
prayer: Humayd said: Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in
offering the (funeral) prayer, and he said takbeer three times, then
he said the salaam. It was pointed out to him, so he turned to facethe
qiblah, then he said the fourth takbeer, then he said the salaam.
Al-Haafiz (may Allah havemercy on him) said: 'Abd ar-Razzaaq narrated
from Ma'mar, from Qataadah, from Anas, that he said takbeer three
times in the funeral prayer, then he ended it by mistake. They said: O
Abu Hamzah, you only said takbeer three times. He said: Get back into
your rows. So they did so, andhe said the fourth takbeer.
End quote fromFath al-Baari, 3/202
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: If
theimam says the takbeer three times (in the funeral prayer) then
saysthe salaam, what should the one who is praying behind him do? He
replied: He has to alert him to that.
Question: What if he is not alerted to it?
Shaykh: If he is not alerted to it, then the one who is praying behind
him should say the takbeer, and thus the communal obligation will have
been fulfilled.
End quote fromash-Sharh al-Kaafi.
And Allah knows best.